Means for internally supporting a tube that is being deformed



A. coTToN 1,713,818

MEANS FOR INTERNALLY SUPPORTING A TUBE THAT IS BEING DEFORMED May 2l, 1929.

Filed March 27, 1924 Patented May 2i, V1929..

FATENT @FFlQtM .ALFRED COTTON, OF ST. LOUS, MSSOR, ASSGNORTO HEINZ@ BILEB COMPANY,

0F ST. LOUIS, /ISSO'URI, CORFORATIGN OF MXSSOURI. l

MEANS FOR INTER/HALLE. SUPPORTNG A TUBE THAT JIS BEING: DEFORLEED.

Application filed March 27, 1924.

This invention relates to sectional headers of the kind that consist of a hollow inember constructed from a welded or drawn tube of circular or oval shape in cross section that is deformed by pressure applied externally to the front and rear sides and to the lateral sides of the tube in such a way as to produce a sectional header having alternately-arranged valleys and ridges on its lateral sides and alternately-arranged valleys and ridges on its front and rear sides. Such a header can be produced by arranging` a tube between four dies that move inwardly towards the longitudinal axis of the tube and exerting pressure on the tube in such a way as to press opposed portions .of the tube inwardly and cause opposed portions of the tube to bulge outwardly, as disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,565,061, dated December 8, 1925, or it can be produced by a rolling,` operation, as disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,565,060, dated December 8, 1925, and my pending application Serial No. 655,666, filed f August 4l, 1923. If the header is to be provided with hand hole cover seats and tube seats that are produced simultaneously with the operation of forming the inwardlypressed portions and outwardly-bulged portions on the tube, it is necessary to internally support those portions of the tube that constitute the seat faces duringthe deforming operation, in order to insure bulged portions of symmetrical shape and seat faces that are Vsharp,angled and fiat.

My present invention consists of a novel means for internally supporting a tube that is deformed in a single operation, or by one continuous operation, so as to produce a header having lateral sides made up of inwardly-pressed portions and outwardlybulged port-ions and front and rear sides, each of which is provided with flat surfaces that serve as seats for handhole covers and for the ends of the tubes to which the header is connected. Due to the fact that the cross-sectional area of a header of the hind above referred to is smaller' at all points along` its length than the cross-sectional area of the tube from which it is formed, it is not feasible to till the tube with sand or similar granular material and then deform the tube by pressure applied externally to Serial No. 702,230.

the same, because sand is practically incompressible, and consequently, offers so great a resist-ance to the inward pressure of the dies or rolls that act on the exterior of the tube that the bulges in the tube are liable to be unsymmetrical and the pressing portions on the dies or rolls that form the seat faces of the header are liable to shear through the tube. It is highly desirable, however, to use sand or some other material of a similar nature to internally support a tube that is being deformed to produce a header of the kind above referred to, and accordingly, l propose to lill the tube with a means which is of such a character or nature that during the deforminp,` operation it will collapse transversely of the tube, at numerous points throughout the length of the tube, an amount or degree approximately equal to the difference in volume of the completed header and the tube from which it is constructed. Said means may consist of sand or other suitable granular material that is practically incornpressible mixed with an object, objects or a material that will collapse slightly during the deforming operation, or said means may consist of a. mass of crushed colte or porous or spongy material, which, when subjected to pressure, will collapse sufliciently to take care of the reduction in volume of the tube as it is formed into a header, and thereafter will become suiiiciently resistant to further collapse to insure the deformation of sharpangled, flat seat faces on the front and rear sides of the header.

In deforming a tube according to my invention the tube can be first filled with the means that is used to internally support the same during the deforining` operation, and thereafter arranged in operativeposition between the external dies or rolls that are used to deform the tube, or the tube can be first arranged in operative relationship with the dies or rolls and said means thereafter introduced into the tube.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a boiler header produced from a tube that is internally supported during the deforming operation by my improved supporting` means.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View of said header.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view, illustrating a tube arranged in operative position between the front and rear dies of a press and filled with a collapsible object and sand or other suitablel granular material; and

Figures land 5 are vertical sectional views, illustrating other forms of my invention.

l/Vhile l have herein described Vmyimproved supporting means as being used to support a. tube that is being deformed to produce a boiler header, i-t will beunderstood that it can be used in the manufacture of supcrheater` headers and various other kinds of headers.

Referring to the drawings, HV designates av sectional header that consists ofav hollow member having lateral sides made up of inwardly-pressed portions l and outwardlybulged portions 2, and front and roar sides, each of which is made up of alternately-arranged, inwardly-pressed portions 3' and outwardly-bulged portions 4 that contain flat-faced indentations 5 and 6 that constitute'seats for hand hole covers and for the ends of tubes to which the header'is con'- nected. Obviously, the shape and area of the .indentations 5 and 6 are immaterial. Said header is formed from a tube of oval or circular" shape in cross section that is arranged between dies or rolls and then subjected to pressure that is Vexerted inwardly onsaid tube from four difierent directions. The dies or rolls that act on the opposed portions of the tube that constitute the front and rear sides of the header are provided with pressing portions that'form the flat seatffaces 5v and 6 on the front and? rear sides of the header, and during the deforming operation, the portions of the tube i which the indentations andv 6` are formed are supported by al means which is capable'of collapsing an: amount or degree approximately equal to the dilierence in volume of the tube and the formed header. y

. As previously stated, various means having the above mentioned characteristics can be used for internally supporting the tube during the deforming operation. lny Figure 3 of the drawings I have illustrated a tube marranged in operative position between the front andV rear dies A and B of a press ofv the kind disclosed in my Unitedv States l Patent No. 1,565,061, dated December 8,

1925, previously referred to, and containing a supporting means composed of a hollow collapsible member C arranged at the center of the tube m and sand orvother suitable granular material D arranged between said `collapsible member C and the side wall of the tube. Then the dies A and B move inwardly into engagement with the tube a?, the member C inside of the tube will `collapse sufficiently to take car'e of the reduction' in the volume of. the. tube, as `it is formed into a header, andi thereafter will become Sullicollapsible member and granular material thereafter introduced into the tube. If the tube is to be pressed hot the means that constitutes the internal support for the tube can be arranged inside of the tube Vbefore it is heated. lnstead of using a single hollow member C to form the collapsible-portion of the means that'is used to internally support the tube, a plurality of collapsible members may be used. The' particular shape of the collapsible member or members is immaterial and it is also immaterial what material is used in the construction of same. l/Vhen the tube is to be pressed cold a piece of rubber tubing surrounded by a mass of sand or similar granular material can 'be used. to internally support the tube aiduring the deforming operation, andwhen the tube is pressed hot, the collapsible member or members that are arranged inside rof the tubecan be constructed of glass, baked lire clay or a metal that will collapse when subjected to the pressure of the die or rolls used to deform the tube. The essential thing is to fill theI tube with 'a means that will not collapse during theoperation of introducing it into said tube, but which has suflicient collapsibility, when subjected to the pressure ofthe dies or rolls, to compensate for thefdiflierence in volume of the formed head-v er H and the tube from which the header.

is constructed.

Instead of filling the tube w with a collapsible object or objects surrounded by granular material, as previously described,

the-tube can be filled with a means consisting of sand or the like and a collapsiblematerial such as coke. If pieces of coke of considerable size are used, say, one-fourth of the bore of the tube, care should be ytaken to keep the collapsible material approximately in the' center'of the tube. v.This can be easily done by arrangingV a tubular member inside `of the tube that is to be convertedk into a header, in concentric relation with said tube, then filling said tubular member with coke, then pouring sand or some other suitable material that is practically incompressible into" the annular space between said tubular member and the. side wallof the Vtube and thereafter withdrawing said tubular member from the tube,'thus producing" an internal support in the tube composed of a collapsible central portion E of coke surrounded by a mass of sand D, as shown in Figure t.

It is not essential that the internal supporting means for the tube be formed by a collapsible center core surrounded by a mass of sand or similar granular' material that is practically incompressible, for good results can be obtained with an internal supporting means formed by sand intimately mixed with coke crushed to above one-twentieth to onc-thirtieth of the diameter of the tube inside of which said means is arranged. Or, if desired, the internal supporting means for the tube can be formed entirely of coke, as shown in Figure 5, wherein the reference character F designates coke crushed to such fneness that it will only collapse sufciently to take care of the reduction in volume of the tube m as it formed into a header and then become sufficiently resistant to further collapse to cause the external dies or rolls to form sharp-angled, flat-faced seats on the front and rear sidesl of the header.

It is preferable to start with a tube n; provided with a closed lower end and having its upper end portion partly closed, say, to about one-third of the diameter of the original tube, as shown in Figure 3, and make the collapsible member C of such diameter and length that when the lower end of said member rests on the bottom end wall of the tube a1, the upper end portion of said member C will project upwardly through the partially closed upper end of the tube without, however, contacting with same, thus leaving an annular space surrounding the upper end portion of the collapsible member C through which sand D can be poured into the tube. l/Vhile I prefer' to start with a tube having a closed lower end, this is not essential, so long as the tube is of such form that the lower end of the collapsible member C will bear against same in such a way as to prevent the escape of the granular material D from the lower end of the tube.

In instances where the header is provided with hand hole cover seats and tube seats in close proximity to the upper end of the header, it is necessary that the upper end portion of the tube x' be of such shape and dimensions that the sand or other granular material in the tube will not escape through the upper end of the tube during the deforming operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An internal support for a tube that is being deformed so as to produce a header,

consisting of a mass of non-compressible,

granular material arranged inside of the tube, and a collapsible means extending longitudinally of the tube and surrounded by said non-compressible material, said means being adapted to collapse automatically during the first part of the deforming operation and thereafter becomes sul'liciently resistant to further collapse to insure the formation of sharp angled seats faces on the header.

2. An internal support for a tube that is being deformed by dies to convert it into a header provided with flat faces, consisting of a means that completely fills the tube and which comprises a portion that collapses slightly at numerous points throughout the length of the tube during the first part of the deforming operation, due to the inward pressure exerted on the tubes by the dies, and thereafter become sufficiently resistant to further collapse to form a substantially rigid support for' parts of the tube that are being shaped to produce sharp angled seat faces on the header.

ALFRED COTTON. 

